By Wanda Southerland

The Fayetteville Board of Mayor and Aldermen approved an ordinance adopting its fiscal year 2027 budget and tax rate following a public hearing held prior to the June 9 regular monthly meeting. Mayor Donna Hartman called the public hearing to order at 5 p.m. No one signed up to speak during the public hearing regarding the proposed budget.

Mayor Hartman said the City of Fayetteville FY27 budget had been published in the May 27, 2026, edition of the Elk Valley Times as required by state law. “There has been one adjustment since the publication in the paper,” she said. “It was an overall adjustment of $51,371.92. That brings the revenue in excess of expenditures down to $147.966.37. We will vote on this budget later in the meeting.”

Hearing no comments from anyone, Mayor Hartman closed the public hearing.

Next was the public hearing for the FY27 Fayetteville City Schools budget. Mayor Hartman said Amanda Parks was the only person who signed up to speak.

“You will have three minutes to speak. It’s your time to say what you have to say, not to engage the board because what you have to say is important to you and to the audience,” Mayor Hartman said.

Parks said she is a mother of a 2026 Fayetteville High School graduate, who will be attending UT Southern in the fall. “I just wanted to get up and let everyone know that our school system means a lot to the people who are employed there as well as the children. We’re excited for the dome that’s going to be on the property sometime next year,” Parks said. “I also have a son. He’s going to be a senior this year. He just enlisted last week to join the Marines. He’s going to finish out his senior year at Fayetteville High School. Overall, my children have always been in the FCS system. The school system, the teachers, everyone has been good to my kids. Our school system means a lot to this town. For those who are here, we’re thankful for you guys being here supporting our Tigers. We’re thankful for the board here and everyone on the board who supports our school system.”

“With Ms. Parks speaking, this will close the public hearing for the Fayetteville City School budget,” Mayor Hartman said.

She then called the regular monthly meeting to order.

Mayor Hartman repeated the information she presented about the one adjustment after the budget was published in The Times. She then asked for a motion to approve Ordinance 2026-11 COF FY27 annual budget and tax rate beginning July 1, 2026, and ending June 30, 2027.

Alderman Mike Keenan made the motion to approve Ordinance 2026-11 City of Fayetteville FY27 annual budget and tax rate. Vice Mayor Jeff Bradford seconded the motion. In a roll call vote, Alderman Jeff Alder, Alderman Tonya Allen, Vice Mayor Bradford, Alderman Keenan and Alderman Dorothy Small voted yes. Alderman Joseph Faulkner voted no.

The FY27 shows total revenues and other financing sources in the general fund at $14,643.546, which is slightly down from the estimated actual FY26 amount of $14,724,454.

Revenues include:

• Local taxes – $11,054,790;

• Licenses and permits – $48,691;

• Intergovernmental – $2,748,015;

• Charges for services – $130,384;

• Fines and forfeitures – $165,800;

• Other – $493,866;

• Sale of Capital assets – $2,000.

Expenditures total $14,616,317, which is slightly higher than the estimated actual FY26 amount of $14,377,638.

Expenditures include:

• Legislative Board – $85,640;

• Department of Mayor – $23,715;

• Department of City Attorney – $60,387;

• Department of Elections and Administration – $836,858;

• Information and Technology Department – $200,983;

• GIS/Mapping Department – $88,739;

• Police Department – $3,319,114;

• Emergency Communications – $1,366,292;

• Fire Department – $1,945,278;

• Animal Control – $318,641;

• Public Works Department – $2,051,080;

• Parks and Recreation and pool Department – $958,662;

• Planning and Codes Department – $291,382;

• Other General Government – $1,625,677;

• Tourism – $79,221;

• Operating transfer to other funds – $1,364,648.

The budget also includes revenues and expenditures in the sanitation, grant, drug and debt service funds. Revenues and expenditures are also appropriated for the landfill, industrial development, animal control, and the Fayetteville City Schools System.

The City’s budget also includes outside agency funding for the fiscal year 2026-2027. The organizations include:

• Child Development Center – $10,000;

• Crimestoppers – $5,000;

• Fayetteville-Lincoln Chamber of Commerce – $32,900;

• Fayetteville-Lincoln County Industrial Development Board – $102,500;

• Library – $132,500;

• Regional Airport Authority – $28,000;

• Senior Center – $10,000;

• Fayetteville Main Street – $29,500;

• Friends of LC Veterans – $1,134;

• Imagination Library – $750;

• Junior’s House – $6,800; and,

• South Central Human Resource – $2,134.

The revenue and expenditures for the FCS federal projects includes: $1,512,947 for school federal projects and the same amount for expenditures.

The General Purpose Schools FY27 Budget revenue totals $13,496,563. Expenditures total $14,364,047 for a difference of minus $867,484. The school’s beginning fund balance on July 1, 2026, totals $6,381,491 and the ending fund balance for June 30, 2027, is $5,514,007.

The FCS budget also includes revenues and expenditures for the school cafeteria of $942,241 and school capital, which only lists $360,042 from intergovernmental revenue interest and $2,091,421 in total expenditures.

The City’s budget does not include any pending capital projects funded by debt proceeds. The proposed future capital project is the purchase of a fire truck at a cost of $2,350,000 to be funded by debt proceeds.

The budget does include a 2% cost of living raise for City employees.

Section 8 of the ordinance states: “There is hereby levied a property tax of $1.3667 per $100 of assessed value on all real and personal property.” This does not include a tax rate increase.

The annual operating and capital budget ordinance and supporting documents shall be submitted to the Comptroller of the Treasury or Comptroller’s Designee for approval pursuant to Title 9, Chapter 21 of the Tennessee Code Annotated within 15 days of its adoption.